Building construction

ABSTRACT

A constructional element comprises two concrete shells which are reinforced by basic steel mats and by parallel mat strips which are bent so as to connect the two shells.

United States Patent [r91 Hubmann [451 July 10, 1973 BUILDING CONSTRUCTION [76] Inventor: Georg I-Iubmann, l-larlachinger Strasse 17, Munich, Germany 22 Filed: Aug. 16,1971

211 App1.No.: 172,179

Related US. Application Data [63] Continuation of Ser. No. 825,370, May 16, 1969,

3,218,774 11/1965 McNiel 52/650 X 3,347,007 10/1967 l-Iale 52/650 X 3,364,647 1/1968 Hubmann 52/741 3,407,560 10/ 1968 Baumann 52/741 X 3,494,088 2/1970 Komer 52/650 X FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 12,159 6/1908 Great Britain 52/319 1,135,333 12/1956 France.,.......... 52/651 349,060 6/ 1937 Italy 52/427 OTHER PUBLICATIONS Journal of the American Concrete Institute TA68- 1.A61 Oct. 1954, pages 149-162 Primary Examiner-Alfred C. Perham Attorney-Kelman & Berman shells which are reinforced by basic steel mats and by parallel mat strips which are bent so as to connect the two shells.

5 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures PATENTED f 3, 744,202

sum 1 0F 4 INVENTOR. Glory Hub aann AGENTS BUILDING CONSTRUCTION This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 825,370 filed May 16, 1969, now abandoned.

The present invention relates to building construction and more particularly to building components of reinforced concrete such as walls, ceilings, floors, columns, stanchions, and the like, comprising two preformed reinforced concrete wall shells arranged from opposite sides and more or more intermediate concrete structures arranged between the shells, each shell having a basic reinforcement of a layer of preformed constructional steel mats. As used in the present specification and claims the term constructional steel mats is taken to include grid-like reinforcements of intersecting steel rods or wires which may be, and preferably are, welded together at the points of intersection.

Constructional elements of the type described above have become more and more accepted in building practice since they afford a means for bringing about rationalization as is required by the building industry. A particularly important point is that the pre-formed or pre-fabricated wall shells can be of a large area in order to make it possible to erect large constructional elements on the building site with little assembly work.

One object of the invention is to provide a constructional element of the above type in such a manner that the two wall shells arranged on two opposite sides not only function as shell elements from the civil engineering point of view but also form statically load bearing parts of the constructional elements just as is the case as the intermediate concrete parts. A further object of the invention is to provide such a constructional element in which the wall shells can be moved on site with little assembly work during the construction of the constructional element. Furthermore, in accordance with a further object of the invention, the constructional element should be provided with a convenient, that is to say rational, reinforcement which does not entail a tedious and costly bending and arrangement of the reinforcing rods or wires on site while at the same time, nevertheless, ensuring a high static load carrying capacity.

Accordingly the present invention consists in the feature, in the case of a constructional element of the type mentioned above, that at least one wall shell, in addition to its basic reinforcement, has additional constructional steel mat strips which are spaced apart and extend parallel to each other, their side edges being woven in the basic reinforcement and cast into the concrete of the shell, while between their side edges they are bent into an approximately U-shaped form out of the shell through the neighboring intermediate concrete and into the opposite second shell where they are connected with the basic reinforcement in a fixed manner of this latter shell, so as to form connecting loops.

The mats of constructional steel arranged in the wall shells form an inexpensive reinforcement since they can be pre-fabricated in welding machines without high costs being involved and in consequence the wall shells can be made large in size without the danger of a breakage or damage during transport being possible. Further, the constructional stell mats in the wall shells serve for taking up the spreading or splitting load which is brought about by the filling of the intermediate concrete (made on site) between the two wall shells. The arrangement in accordance with the invention of additional mat strips serves primarily to provide a rigid connection, which is sufficiently stable for transport, of the opposite pre-fabricated wall shells without the basic reinforcement located in the wall shells being weakened by this connection. Therefore in the case of the production of constructional elements such as walls, ceilings, floors, or large pillars, it is possible to use double wall shells which are large in area and thus rationalize operations. These double wall shells are arranged on the two outside surfaces of the constructional element and can be moved as a coherent assembly unit in a completely pre-fabricated state.

In accordance with a convenient embodiment of the invention the constructional element is so constructed that the strips of constructional steel mat or matting which are bent out of one shell into the other shell in a U-shape for the formation of connecting loops have the heads of their loops passing through the mesh openings in the matting of constructional steel of the other shell and are anchored in it by means of dowel pins which extend between the matting and the loop heads, of the curved or bent strips of matting, which extend through the matting, and are passed into the concrete of the other shell. Thus, in the production of the prefabricated double shell an extremely simple strong connection is obtained between the loop heads and the matting of constructional steel of that shell in which the mat strips bent out of the other'shell in an U-shape fit with their loop heads. The dowel pins thus lie in a part which is particularly favorable from the static point of view, of the wall shell into which the loop heads are fitted.

The constructional element in accordance with the invention can also be so modified that it is only provided on one outer side with a wall shell, for example in the case of a wall or a ceiling immediately adjacent to another constructional element, in which the wall shell is only required on the lower side and is covered with concrete prepared on site. In this case the strips of constructional steel matting in accordance with the invention are so placed that their side edges in this one shell and are bent out of this shell into that space of the constructional element which is filled up or formed by an adjacent layer of site concrete or an adjacent concrete beam.

The invention also provides a device for producing a double shell of the type mentioned. The device or apparatus is conveniently so constructed that it has a shell frame, for the concreting of one wall shell on a base which, can be tilted through and in the tilted position can be moved over a second shell frame for concreting the other wall shell, the first swinging shell frame being provided with holding elements, which are fitted into the shell to be concreted or fitted round it, which prevent the concreted shell falling out of the tilting shell frame when the latter is tilted.

With this apparatus the double shell in accordance with the invention can be produced with the steel mat strips, bent to form loops connecting the wall shells in an U-formation, in a simple manner in rapid sequence.

The invention is applicable for interior walls and exterior walls. It is also applicable to ceilings, floors, pillars or the like. The constructional element can for example be so constructed by the use of additional insulating layers on the interior surfaces of the wall shell that all requirements as regards sound and heat insulation are fulfilled. Thus, in the case of exterior walls heat insulating intermediate layers can be arranged on the inside face of the wall shell on the outer side of the constructional element.

Further details and advantages of the invention will be gathered from the following description referring to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a partial section through an embodiment of a constructional element in accordance with the invention with wall shells on both sides.

FIG. 2 shows a pre-fabricated double shell for the production of the constructional element in accordance with FIG. 1 in section.

FIG. 3 shows a pre-fabricated single shell for the production of a constructional element in accordance with the invention having a wall shell one side, in section.

FIG. 4 shows a pre-fabricated single shell in a different form of construction.

FIG. 5 is a partial section through a further embodiment of the constructional element in accordance with the invention with wall shells on both sides.

FIGS. 6 to 9 show an elevation and section an embodiment of the invention in form of a device for producing a double shell,

FIG. 6 is a side view of a pivoting shell frame with a wall shell concreted in place,

FIG. 7 is a plane view of a tilting shell frame in accordance with FIG. 6,

FIG. 8 is a section through the whole shell device with the pivoting and non-pivoting shell frames in a scale greater than that of FIG. 6, and

FIG. 9 is a partial section through the shell device in accordance with FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 shows a possibility of application of constructional elements embodying the invention.

The constructional element shown in FIG. 1, which can be in the form of a wall or a pillar, has wall shells l and 2 provided on the two outer sides. Between the shells there is core of concrete 3 made on site and poured into place as a solid filler material. Both wall shells have a basic reinforcement 4, 5 in the form of a layer of constructional steel mats. The wall shell 1 in addition to its basic carries reinforcement has additional elongated strips 6 of constructional steel mats or matting. The strips are parallel to each other and arranged with a spacing between them. Their side edges or edge portions 7 are woven into the basic reinforcement 5 of this shell and concreted into the shell. Between the side edges 7 these strips 6 of mat are bent approriimately in a U-shape out of the shell 1, through the intermediate concrete 3 and into the oppositely placed wall shell so as to form connecting loops, in such a manner that the loop heads 8 at the bight of the U- shape pass through the mesh openings of the mat 4 of this shell 2. Between this mat 4 and the loop heads passing through it dowel pins 9 are inserted in order to anchor the mat strips 6 on the mat 4. The dowel pins 9 are concreted in place in the wall shell 2.

The two wall shells l and 2 are so pre-fabricated and connected by means of the strips 6 of mat bent into an U-shape, to form a coherent assembly unit, that the whole can be transported to the building side and connected with similar assembly units. The constructional element then has concrete 3 filled into it in the space between the wall shells 1 and 2 to embed the longitudinal connecting members of the strips 6 and portions of the U-shaped members.

If the intermediate concrete 3 is also to be reinforced, as is the case with the construction shown in FIG. 1, the two mat strips 6, which are bent in a U- shape through the intermediate space between the wall shells, of the assembly unit (FIG. 2) constructed as a double shell, carry suitably arranged additional constructional steel mats 10 which are arranged in the intermediate space between the shells. If a reinforcement of the site-made concrete is not necessary, the constructional steel mats can also be dispensed with.

The strips 6 of constructional steel mat which are anchored and concreted in the two wall shells l and 2 in the case of the double shell in accordance with FIG. 2 used in the constructional element in accordance with FIG. 1 provide a sufficiently strong connection of the two wall shells so as to hold them at a constant spacing.

FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of a pre-fabricated individual shell whose mat reinforcement of constructional steel corresponds exactly with that shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. This embodiment is especially suitable for placement on pre-existing constructional elements. The intermediate space between the wall and the wall shell I can then also be filled with site-made concrete. The individual shell in accordance with the invention can also be used for the production of ceilings or floors, sitemade concrete being applied to it, for instance up to the dot-dash line (FIG. 3) in accordance with the thickness of the floor required. The U-shaped strips 6 of mat extend into this concrete. For reinforcement I also provide two layers of steel matting in the site-made concrete and a further layer of matting 11 to which the mat strips 6 are attached at their loop heads 8 by means of dowel pins 9.

FIG. 4 shows a further embodiment of a prefabricated individual shell whose wall shell 1 is provided with parallel concrete beams 12 at a position adjacent to the mat strips 6 which are bent out of the shell in an U-shape. On this individual shell it is possible to place site-made concrete as far as the dot-dash line, the loop heads 8 of the mat strips 6 being anchored in the concrete.

FIG. 5 shows the production of a further embodiment of the constructional element in accordance with the invention. This element is in the form of a floor or ceiling consisting of double shells. The double shells comprise wall shells l and 2 of different breadth and are placed together along their broad wall shells 1. At a position adjacent to their strips 6 of constructional steel matting forming U-shaped connecting loops intermediate beams 14 are arranged between the wall shells l and 2. The beams connect the wall shells l and 2 of each double shell conveniently. The pre-fabricated double shells produced in this manner with the intermediate beams placed together in accordance with FIG. 5 define an intermediate space 13 between their adjacent beams. This space 13 is upwardly open on the side of the narrower wall shell 2 and can be filled from this position with site-made concrete up to the dot-dash line (FIG. 5). The intermediate space 15 between the intermediate beams 14 within one and the same double shell remains unfilled.

The preferred form of construction shown in FIGS. 6 to 9 of a device for constructing a double shell to be used as a constructional element in accordance with the invention comprises a pivoting shell frame 18 and a further non-pivoting shell 23. In FIG. 6 the tilting or pivoting shell frame 18 is shown mounted on a flat base 17, for example a table or the like. This shell frame 18 serves for concreting the one wall shell 1 of the double shell to be produced, from which the U-shaped bent connecting loops are bent out. it is provided on two opposite frame limbs with pivot pins 19 directed away from the frame and lying so that their axes coincide with the axis of gravity of the shell frame 18. These pivot pins 19 are journalled in bushes which can be carried by means of a rope arrangement 16 on a crane or other transport device. Furthermore in the four frame limbs of the shell frame 18 studs 21 are journalled so that they can move along their axes. These studs are concreted into the wall shell 1 to be concreted itself in the shell frame 18.

The concreting of the wall shell 1 is carried out on the fiat base 17 with shell frame 18 in a position shown in FIG. 6, the layer 5 of matting of constructional steel being laid in the frame and the additional strips 6 of matting which are bent to form the connection loops in an U-shaped manner have their side edges woven into this basic reinforcement onto which the basic reinforcement 4 of the wall shell which is to be concreted later are placed.

After the concreting of the wall shell 1 in the shell frame 18 the latter is swung on the bushes 20 about 180 and placed on the non-pivoting shell frame 23 at such a distance that the loop heads of the flat strips 6 bent in an U-shape of the wall shell 1 in the shell frame 18 extend into the shell frame 23 nearly as far as its base 22. The studs 21 which are concreted into the wall shell I prevent the wall shell 1 from falling out of the shell frame 18. The necessary clearance between the two superposed shell frames 18 and 23 is maintained by means of spacers 24 which are arranged on the nonpivoting shell frame 23. These spacers, as is shown in FIG. 9, are in the form of threaded bolts-29 which in order to set the required spacing are screwed into nuts 30 welded on the upper surface of the shell frame 23. In order to prevent turning of the threaded bolts 29 by themselves lock nuts 31 are provided.

Furthermore centering lugs of flat steel plate are provided on the non-pivoting shell frame and abut at their free ends against the pivoting or tilting shell frame 18. In order to facilitate lowering of the pivoting shell frame between the centering lugs 25 the latter are bent outwards at their upper ends.

After fixing the pivoting shell frame 18 over the nonpivoting shell frame 23 the other wall shell 2 of the double shell to be produced in the device is concreted in the shell frame 23, the space between the two wall shells 1 and 2 being provided for receiving the sitemade concrete or other intermediate concrete.

For removing the wall shell 1 from the shell frame 18 the studs 21, which can be moved along their axes in the frame 18, are drawn out of the wall shell making use of the transverse hole 28.

As can be seen from FIG. 9, in the embodiment of the invention shown the studs 21 are provided with slots 27 at their ends which are to be concreted in the wall shell 1. A round rod 26, which is perpendicular to the axis of the stud and forms part of the basic reinforcement 5 of the shell frame 18 of the shell 1 to be concreted, extends into each of these 'slots 27. This prevents breakage of the weighty sheet-like wall shell 1 on swinging the shell frame 18 with its shell 1.

Preferably both the base 17 and also the base 22 of the shell frames 18 and 23 are provided with vibrating or shaking devices, not shown, and heating devices for bringing about a compact and rapid hardening of the concrete which is to be placed.

The invention can used particularly conveniently in 5 the case of a manner of building without using scaffolding in accordance with U.S. Pat. No. 3,364,647.

FIG. 10 of the drawings shows a further application of constructional elements in accordance with the invention which is applicable both in the case of small buildings such as garages 32, houses 33, and skyscrapers 34. The building shown in FIG. 10 is erected without using scaffolding in accordance with.U.S. Pat. No. 3,364,647 using balcony or shell'parts 35 which are provided simultaneously with the working platform 36 with a protective framework 37.

In all the possible applications it is preferred for the double shell used in accordance with the invention to have the same height as a storey so that building may proceed rapidly with a minimum of assembly work.

What is claimed is:

1. A reinforced concrete element comprising, in combination:

a. a substantially planar wall shell of reinforced concrete;

b. a plurality of elongated first steel mats projecting from said shell in spacedly parallel relationship, each mat including:

1. a plurality of substantially U-shaped rod mem bers extending in respective planes transverse to the direction of mat elongation, each rod member having two leg portions partly embedded in said shell and a bight portion connecting respective ends of said leg portions, said bight portions defining a first plane substantially parallel to said wall shell and remote from the same, and

2. a plurality of longitudinal rod members elongated in the direction of mat elongation between said wall shell and said first plane and fixedly fastened to said leg portions so as to connect said U-shaped members; and

c. a substantially planar second mat of intersecting steel rods fixedly secured to said longitudinal members in a second plane substantially parallel to said first plane and to said wall shell and spacedly interposed between the same.

2. An element as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a substantially planar third mat of intersecting steel rods fixedly secured to said longitudinal members in a third plane substantially parallel to said second plane, spacedly interposed between said second plane and said wall shell, and substantially closer to said wall shell than to said first plane.

3. An element as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a substantially planar second wall shell of reinforced concrete extending in said first plane and enveloping said bight portions, said second mat being spaced from said second wall shell.

4. An element as set forth in claim 3, further comprising a plurality of steel rod members, each steel rod member having respective longitudinal portions embedded in two of said spaced ribs defining an air space and another longitudinal portion exposed in said air space.

5. An element as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a concrete rib at least partly enveloping each of said first steel mats, said ribs being elongated and transversely spaced from each other so as to define air spaces therebetween, respective portions of said second mat being exposed in the air space between each pair of adjacent ribs. 

1. A reinforced concrete element comprising, in combination: a. a substantially planar wall shell of reinforced concrete; b. a plurality of elongated first steel mats projecting from said shell in spacedly parallel relationship, each mat including:
 1. a plurality of substantially U-shaped rod members extending in respective planes transverse to the direction of mat elongation, each rod member having two leg portions partly emBedded in said shell and a bight portion connecting respective ends of said leg portions, said bight portions defining a first plane substantially parallel to said wall shell and remote from the same, and
 2. a plurality of longitudinal rod members elongated in the direction of mat elongation between said wall shell and said first plane and fixedly fastened to said leg portions so as to connect said U-shaped members; and c. a substantially planar second mat of intersecting steel rods fixedly secured to said longitudinal members in a second plane substantially parallel to said first plane and to said wall shell and spacedly interposed between the same.
 2. a plurality of longitudinal rod members elongated in the direction of mat elongation between said wall shell and said first plane and fixedly fastened to said leg portions so as to connect said U-shaped members; and c. a substantially planar second mat of intersecting steel rods fixedly secured to said longitudinal members in a second plane substantially parallel to said first plane and to said wall shell and spacedly interposed between the same.
 2. An element as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a substantially planar third mat of intersecting steel rods fixedly secured to said longitudinal members in a third plane substantially parallel to said second plane, spacedly interposed between said second plane and said wall shell, and substantially closer to said wall shell than to said first plane.
 3. An element as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a substantially planar second wall shell of reinforced concrete extending in said first plane and enveloping said bight portions, said second mat being spaced from said second wall shell.
 4. An element as set forth in claim 3, further comprising a plurality of steel rod members, each steel rod member having respective longitudinal portions embedded in two of said spaced ribs defining an air space and another longitudinal portion exposed in said air space.
 5. An element as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a concrete rib at least partly enveloping each of said first steel mats, said ribs being elongated and transversely spaced from each other so as to define air spaces therebetween, respective portions of said second mat being exposed in the air space between each pair of adjacent ribs. 